By Draven Copeland, Editor-in-Chief
It’s a shame wintertime gets the unofficial title of “the most wonderful time of the year.” As fall chills creep in and all the leaves change colors, there’s a sense of magic in the air that tops all the holiday cheer that comes in the next few months – now is the time to embrace our fears and take the rare opportunity to dress like freaks, heroes, and everything in between.
But what happens when the darkness of night comes ever earlier and you’re too tired to go back out? That’s when you get into the spirit of the scary story, most commonly consumed these days in the form of horror movies streaming straight to your TV or phone. Everyone already knows about the classics like Friday the 13th, Scream, Saw, Paranormal Activity, Nightmare on Elm Street, and so on, so hopefully I can give you a break from the norm. Having seen 627 horror movies in my life so far (here’s the link to that list if you’re interested), I consider myself a decently knowledgeable person on the topic, so let me give you a rundown of a few more niche options I’d recommend for a hell of a night (in the best way possible).
Fright Level 1: I’m Too Scared for Anything Serious, But I Want to Join the Fun
Some people get scared easily and that’s okay; the more I’ve watched horror and become desensitized to a lot of the tropes, the more I’ve become jealous of them. For this section I’ll be going over movies that aren’t really scary at all, but still embody the spooky spirit of the holiday. These are good for watching with family/younger siblings and any of these picks could be a great prelude to something a little more intense later in the night, if you’re feeling it.
Scooby-Doo (2002)
Guys, I’m going to be honest: this movie is so underrated. Written by James Gunn (now famous for his work on superhero films like Guardians of the Galaxy, The Suicide Squad, and Superman) and starring Matthew Lillard in his amazing performance as Shaggy, this is a great full-length adaptation of the original shows/animated movies. Even as an adult, I find myself laughing through the whole movie and am honestly engaged in the overall plot/characters. Definitely a great option if you have younger people around while getting into the Halloween spirit!
The Tingler (1959)
Starring horror legend Vincent Price, famously featured in Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” and in countless classics like House of Wax, this one flies under the radar for so many people. Using many gimmicks that would now be considered “meta” or self-referential, the movie still works really well in terms of including the audience in on the fun; there’s even a section of the movie that blacks out the screen as the Tingler seems to have gotten out of the screen and into the auditorium of the movie theater. It also has one of my favorite scenes in classic horror, as the bright red coloring of blood breaks out of the black-and-white realm the film lives in otherwise.
Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
Speaking of my faves in classic horror, this is easily my favorite film in the Universal Monster era started by 1931’s Dracula, starring Bela Lugosi. Although the titular Bride only appears briefly, the continued humanization of Boris Karloff’s depiction of Frankenstein makes this movie work so well in all the ways that I feel like its predecessor didn’t. It is the shortest pick on this list, so it’s a great one if you’re short on time or just want to vibe with one of the true classics.
Fright Level 2: Not Too Creepy – I Still Want to Sleep At Night!
Here are a few that have spooky vibes and are definitely scary at times, but nothing too wild. A lot of these are favorites from when I was younger and first getting into horror; the gateway classics, if you will.
Trick ‘r Treat (2007)
This one is my traditional yearly watch on Halloween night, and a great one if you are more into the fun, spooky side of the horror spectrum. It’s an anthology horror film, so it consists of several short stories that are all connected by the appearance of the cutest horror creature of all time, Sam. While this form of storytelling in the horror genre was popularized later by the also very good V/H/S series, this one continues to be my favorite interpretation of the spirit of Halloween and the traditions surrounding it.
Nosferatu (1922 and 2024)
While I still prefer the original Symphony of Horror version of this film, both it and Robert Eggers’ recent remake are quintessential works in the realm of Gothic vampire horror. Even the century-old classic still spooks me with its visuals and masterful building of tension, and the remake takes those aspects and updates them for the modern generation. They even work back-to-back, if you want a fun double feature.
The Others (2001)
Another hugely slept-on horror film, The Others stars Nicole Kidman as a mother in WWII era Jersey, cooped up in a creepy manor with her children as she awaits her soldier husband’s return. One of my favorite supernatural thrillers ever made, its popularity suffers from the general discarding of PG-13-rated films in the horror community as sanitized and not actually scary. This one is creepy and chilling without any onscreen violence and it effectively brings the classic haunted house ghost story into the wartime era.
Fright Level 3: Come On, Dude, I Want to be Scared!
This is where it really gets fun. These are some options that I actually find to be genuinely scary and really dig into fears that stick with you for a little bit; I’m saving the more grotesque/disturbing cuts for later, but these are ones that are actually pretty terrifying without getting too violent/nasty for the average viewer.
Lake Mungo (2008)
This one still spooks me every time. Made in mockumentary style, the film revolves around the supernatural occurrences that start to appear in a small Australian town after the eerie disappearance of a teenage girl from a lake swimming trip. Underneath it all is a true exploration of the natural fear of death’s inevitability and how people deal with it when it comes suddenly to a loved one. This was the first film to come to mind when I started thinking about what I’d recommend, so it’s definitely one high on my list!
REC (2007)
Combining claustrophobia with zombie horror, this Spanish film works for me in ways the zombie subgenre usually doesn’t. With some really cool twists on the well-known concept of a viral outbreak that turns everyone into flesh-eating undead, the movie’s plot is entirely confined to one building that is quarantined before the outbreak can… well, get out. Told in found footage style and featuring an all-time great performance by Manuela Velasco as a television reporter stuck in the madness, this is still one of my favorite foreign horror films to date. Side note: DO NOT watch the English dubbed version of this movie, it’s actually horrible.
Black Christmas (1974)
Speaking of favorites, how about my favorite horror film, period. Directed by Bob Clark, whose other notable works include the likes of A Christmas Story, this film is a feminist take on the home-invasion proto-slasher that inspired John Carpenter’s Halloween. Olivia Hussey’s performance as the “final girl” is the best of its kind, and the characterization of all the targeted sorority sisters in the film makes you care every time one of them meets their demise. If you’re just itching to get into a Christmas classic before it’s actually time for it (there, I said it), this is a great option to stay in the spooky vibe. Side Note: Both remakes of this movie are pretty bad, steer clear of those!
Fright Level 4: Take Me To The Gore Dimension
I can’t make a horror list without something for the gorehounds out there… it’s always been a part of the genre and it always will. While none of these movies are particularly scary (in my opinion, at least), they are definitely all on the more extreme side of things as far as violence goes; the third pick even falls into the category of extreme cinema, a subgenre of film that is made with the intention of being overtly graphic/transgressive. These are my comfort watches when I need something gross to watch… however, I will give out a trigger warning for these if you are bothered by extreme violence!
The Substance (2023)
Even before this film garnered fame at the Oscars with its five nominations and win in the category of “Best Makeup and Hairstyling,” I’ve been singing director Coralie Fargeat’s praises for her work in the subgenre of feminist horror. This adventure into body horror madness is undertoned by its exploration of cultural ageism and its associations with sexism… and it is, of course, filled with nasty, gory scenes. Watching this for the first time was an experience I won’t soon forget; more people walked out of that auditorium than when I saw Terrifier 3.
High Tension (2003)
This French slasher film kicked off the “torture-porn” era of horror that was later popularized by the Saw and Hostel series, even though this movie doesn’t actually have any torture scenes. Combining the subgenre of splatter horror with elements of a psychological thriller, Alexandre Aja (director of other popular films like Crawl and his remake of The Hills Have Eyes), this one is full of twists and turns to keep you interested through all the shocking actions of the killer as he hunts down two best friends. The English dubbed version is actually very good too, so you have that option as well, this time.
Tokyo Gore Police (2008)
Speaking of splatter horror, this Japanese film takes the genre to new heights as it creeps into the subgenre of extreme cinema. The extremely wacky and intentionally hilarious plot follows a member of a special police force known as Hunters who are dispatched into dystopian Japan to battle with mutated humans known as Engineers. These Engineers have the ability to grow biomechanical weapons from their wounds, so that when they are cut/dismembered, they gain insane growths of things like chainsaw yo-yos, katana legs, and machine gun eyes… after spraying blood all over the place for like 30 seconds straight, of course. It’s fucking wild, and a great time if you are in for that sort of thing.
Fright Level 5: I Don’t Want to Leave the Same [Give Me the Disturbing Shit]
This is for horror aficionados who want to feel something again, or for anyone interested in being emotionally scarred after a watch – while these are all great movies that I stand by, they’re rough watches to say the least. I won’t be digging too much into extreme cinema with these, except for the last one (shout out to films like Saló and A Serbian Film, both of which I appreciate but cannot ever recommend), but they will all be very intense nonetheless. Massive trigger warnings for all of these as they display a variety of extremely disturbing and graphic content!
Titane (2021)
Okay, stay with me now: this is a French film about a troubled woman who has sex with a car and then must deal with the repercussions of becoming pregnant with the car’s child. While that’s a seemingly insane premise, this movie really works on a grounded level and even pulls at the heartstrings a little bit… I actually cried watching it for the first time. Combining feminist elements along with body horror akin to The Substance, the themes of found-family and the path towards acceptance of love that parents may not understand are strong underneath the weird horror going on around them. If you liked The Substance but wish it were more of a drama with hints of erotica, this is a good one to try.
The Poughkeepsie Tapes (2007)
Another pick made in mockumentary style, this film is one that’s shocking not because of what you see, but rather because of what you don’t see. Intercut with fake interviews and “found footage” from the killer, what’s genuinely disturbing about this movie is how real everything feels. The kidnappings, home invasions, and murders all feel like they could have actually happened, and the depths of evil that the killer goes into are genuinely horrific to think about. If you’re into true-crime serial-killer style media, this is a really good one for you.
Irréversible (2002)
If you watch this and it’s because of me, please don’t hate me. I usually don’t like to read up on films before I watch them, but this is one I’d actually recommend you do look into first, simply because it can be a genuinely traumatic experience if you are unprepared or are triggered by things like sexual violence and discrimination.
Irréversible is an Italian psychological thriller/horror film written and directed by my favorite filmmaker, Gaspar Noé, and is, in my eyes, a very powerful film about the awful reality of how evil people (men, especially) can be without repercussions. There is nothing good about this story; even I have only been able to watch it once and actually shiver at the thought of watching it again. If you are interested in dipping your toes into the artistic side of extreme cinema, this is surprisingly a bit on the tamer side of things, mainly because the most horrific scene is skippable and the rest of the film is centered around the aftermath of the event. Whether you watch it is up to you; it’s one of the hardest films I’ve watched, even though I am an enormous fan of Noé’s filmmaking and think the movie itself is brilliant.
On that note, that concludes my comprehensive list for horror fans of all kinds, even those who are just in it for the season. I hope you find something good on here and maybe try a few if you’re interested in any of them. Or hell, do a marathon – I probably will, now that I’m thinking about it. Happy Halloween!
Because of the topics/scenes explored in some of the later recommendations, I feel it’s necessary to include this disclaimer. Please don’t consume media you’re not ready for or that you know will bother you (more than desired, obviously… it is spooky season).
Disclaimer: Even though these are works of art and none of them include real video of actual violence/graphic content, media that you consume can have a real effect on mental health. This article is for general informational purposes only and is not meant to encourage anyone to watch anything they are not prepared for or will be genuinely bothersome to them. Especially in regards to picks that fall under the category of extreme cinema, there are films on this list that portray extreme violence/gore, graphic nudity, sexual violence, and disturbing behavior from characters in the stories that is often related to mental health. If you are experiencing a personal crisis, emotional distress, or feel you may need counseling, please reach out to the Pellissippi State Counseling Services at counseling@pstcc.edu or call 865.694.6480 for support. If you are in immediate crisis, please call the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 to connect with help right away. Additionally, if you are in an unsafe situation, please call the Pellissippi State Campus Police at 865.694.6649, available 24/7. As a reminder, campus police encourage students to add this number to phone contacts in the case of an emergency. You can also text “PSCCTIPS” to 67283 for an Anonymous Safety Tip.
